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"Few presidents have ever granted the Fifth Freedom. It's the right to defend our laws, by breaking them. To safeguard secrets, by stealing them. To save lives, by taking them. To do whatever it takes to protect our country. The Fifth Freedom is mine alone. I am Sam Fisher. I am a Splinter Cell."
Sam Fisher

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the sixth installment in the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series of video games published by Ubisoft and developed by Ubisoft Toronto. The game takes place two years after Conviction as Third Echelon is discharged by the president Patricia Caldwell. She decides to form Fourth Echelon after a terrorist attack, labelled Blacklist Zero, and Sam Fisher is appointed as the leader to stop future attacks.

After the previous title, which featured a bigger focus on action, developers promised to bring back gameplay elements of the older games. Thus the players can choose to play in three playstyles: Assault, Ghost and Panther.

Synopsis

It's been two years after the events of Conviction, Third Echelon has been terminated after a failed assassination attempt on the President's life. But when a new terrorist plot known as "The Blacklist" puts America's fate hanging in the balance, Patricia Caldwell, the US President, responds by forming Fourth Echelon, a new special operations & counter-terrorism unit with former Third Echelon agent Sam Fisher as the commander of the unit alongside his ally Anna Grímsdóttir as the unit's tech-ops control officer and second-in command. Added as a new member are Isaac Briggs, former CIA agent and new Fourth Echelon agent and Charlie Cole, 4E's resident hacker and technology officer. Now the unit's new mission: hunt down those responsible for the attack and stop the Blacklist countdown before it's too late.

Plot

Echoes

A prequel in the form of a comic book written by Nathan Edmondson. Echoes takes place between the events after Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction and before the start of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Sam Fisher, once a Splinter Cell, has now retired. His enemies, however, have not. Haunted by the dreams and memories of his past, he struggles to put his life back together. When a mysterious terrorist organization called KROWE begins pursuing targets around the globe, Sam’s expertise is needed to uncover their endgame and stop them before their deadly plot unfolds.

The Blacklist

Two years after the events of Conviction Sam Fisher works for his friend Victor Coste at the Paladin Nine Security. They are currently stationed at the Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. Little do they know this will be the first target of the Engineers.

Blacklistplan

Blacklist Zero point Fifty Five and a Half: Andersen Air Force Base, Guam

While Sam and Victor are preparing for an aerial reconnaissance mission, the staff of the airbase are ambushed by a group of Engineers. The terrorists kill most of the base personnel and use the base's computers to download Site F encryption keys. In the process they also upload a video online showing the attack. The Engineer leader then gives orders to activate the bombs they rigged earlier and tells his men to move out. At the same time Sam's helicopter is in the air but airborne debris following the annihilation of the base punctures the side of their chopper and causes said chopper to crash. Charlie Cole contacts him and Vic and informs them of a jammer. It is blocking communications and they can't call for help as long as it's working. The duo fights through the chaos and reaches the jammer, successfully shutting it down. They find a wounded soldier near the device and Vic tries to provide first aid. The man turns out to be an Engineer when he pulls a pin on a grenade. Victor reacts quickly and throws Sam into safety but he himself suffers great injuries from the blast. He is quickly admitted to a hospital and remains in critical state.

After securing the base the US President approaches Sam and offers him a job in the newly formed Fourth Echelon. He is to lead the agency with their primary goal being stopping the Engineers. Sam takes the job and demands Charlie to be allowed into Fourth Echelon without any questions. Another member of the team is Isaac Briggs, the best the CIA could offer to help Sam during ground operations. Lastly, Anna 'Grim' Grímsdóttir is chosen as a control officer. Sam disagrees with this decision but the President refuses to listen to him. She tells him their previous vast experience working together is irreplaceable. After short introduction to the Paladin and SMI, Sam is headed to Benghazi, Libya to investigate their first lead on the Blacklist.

Safehouse: Benghazi, Libya (Time to next attack: 4 Days 10 Hours)

The team receives a report that a man walked into a CIA safehouse in Benghazi with possible information on Blacklist Zero. Sam questions the credibility of the intel but all doubts disappear when he is told the man is Andriy Kobin. Grim is worried about Sam's actions given their history with Kobin and gets into an argument with Sam. Despite that, Sam goes into Benghazi to extract Kobin. Briggs supports Sam during the mission as a sniper. Sam eventually reaches the safehouse but the CIA contact is dead and Kobin is nowhere to be found. With Charlie's help they locate Kobin in a nearby police station where the local militia took him. Sam infiltrates the station and rescues Kobin.

Insurgent Stronghold: Mirawa, Iraq (Time to next attack: 1 Days 10 Hours)

Kobin explains he went to CIA for protection because it was him who supplied weaponry for Blacklist Zero. Fourth Echelon uses this lead to track down Kobin's buyer to a terrorist training camp in Iraq. Fisher infiltrates via the river and deploys Charlie Cole's tri-rotor drone to get a voice match. The drone fails and Fisher has to manually get a match. He confronts the buyer and discovers he is Jadid, an ex-MI6 agent. The Engineer doesn't reveal any useful info before he's either killed by Sam or shoots himself with Sam's pistol. Grim then tells Fisher a transmission is coming from the upper village and Sam goes to investigate. At the site he finds a kill room with dead American soldier and a message from a man they identify as Majid Sadiq, the leader of the Engineers. Afterwards their UAV malfunctions because of a hack and Sam has to escape by Briggs' helicopter.

American Consumption: Chicago, USA (Day 7) (Time to next attack: 0 Days 3 Hours)

All intel collected by other American agencies points Sam and his team to Dallas as the target of the second Blacklist attack. Charlie voices concerns that it's probably a decoy given their previous dealing with the Engineers. He instead shows suspicious footage of a group of men arriving to Chicago, IL. Soon after they find out there is a hostage situation at the city's Navy Pier. Against Grim's wishes Sam heads there believing it's the actual Blacklist target. On the ground Fisher quickly discovers it is indeed the Engineers. The terrorists strapped the hostages with explosives making any combat around them even more dangerous. Sam leaves the hostages to be rescued by SWAT but not before he gets bomb deactivation codes from a drone operator. From the same technician he learns their plan. They are trying to poison the city's water supply. Fisher infiltrates the nearby water filtration plant where the Engineers already deployed their biological agent, weaponized plague bacteria. Sam neutralizes the devices pumping the poison into the water and finally shuts off the outflow valve to keep the contaminated water in the facility. The second Blacklist attack thus fails.

Private Estate: Ciudad Del Este, Paraguay (Time to next attack: 5 Days 9 Hours)

Sam decides it's time go on the offense and hunt any leads they can use to hit the Engineers before the next attack. Grim sends out a fake email in which she states Kobin turned into an informant. This information causes the most activity with the name Reza Nouri. Kobin reveals he is an old associate he worked with on the black market. Fisher goes to Paraguay to learn what he knows about the Blacklist. He infiltrates Nouri's private estate and breaks into his panic room. As they are about to leave Iranian special forces storm the place. Sam has to fight through them to keep Nouri alive and reach a boat to escape. Nouri gives Sam a list of men he supplied to Sadiq and is left to go free. Grim warns Sam Nouri could be an Engineer operative and letting him go was a bad idea. Fisher explains he put a tracker into his phone to get even more intel from the dealer.

Abandoned Mill: London, UK (Time to next attack: 4 Days 12 Hours)

Following intelligence gained from Nouri, Fisher goes to London to uncover Engineer sleeper cell activity. Briggs again provides sniper fire while Fisher infiltrates an abandoned mill. He collects intel pointing towards Iran and reaches a garage where the guards load unknown cargo. Sam puts a tracker in the cargo which turns out to be a disperse system bomb for a variant of VX nerve gas. Due to him opening the device Fisher gets poisoned but the chemical takes a while before it affects Sam. He continues the mission when he learns Sadiq might be at the site. The nerve gas soon kicks in fully and Sam is captured by Sadiq. The leader interrogates Sam but before long Briggs comes to rescue Fisher. Sam orders to go after Sadiq but Briggs instead makes sure they reach the extraction point. This angers Fisher and he proclaims it was Briggs' last mission.

Special Missions HQ: Tehran, Iran (Time to next attack: 2 Days 17 Hours)

Intelligence from London suggests Iran could be involved in the Blacklist attacks. Grim is concerned it might be another decoy and wants to investigate the credibility. The only way to prove Iran's innocence is to visit the reconverted US embassy in Tehran and uncover the truth. Thanks to a bluff an Iranian general gets Fisher inside. Unfortunately he leads him into a trap and Sam must escape an ambush. After dealing with the guards he infiltrates the server room and uses Cole's flash drive to search for data. Sam makes his way through the embassy grounds and Briggs picks him up in a van. They are pursued by Iranian Special Forces and Grim is forced to use MQ-1C Grey Eagle drone to free their path. With the new data they clear Iran of any involvement with the Engineers but the President isn't happy due to the MQ-1C involvement. The drone attack has to be camouflaged as a malfunction to prevent war. Grim and Sam get into argument about mission priorities and Grim reminds him of the value of a team.

American Freedom (Transit Yards): Philadelphia, USA (Day 14) (Time to next attack: 0 Days 2 Hours)

Thanks to the previously placed tracker in London Fourth Echelon locates the target of the third Blacklist attack. It is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Engineers hold hostages on a metro train. They plan to bomb outside of the subway terminals and spread the gas into the city streets by trains. Sam and Briggs make peace and work together again. This time Briggs assists Sam fully as a ground agent. They have to split up and disarm all four nerve gas bombs before they detonate. Afterwards Fisher chases the lead Engineer onto a train with intent of capturing him. He escapes at the next stop, and is cornered by a police officer. He takes a hostage and before the situation can be resolved the officer shoots the terrorist. Sam then has to surrender and gets arrested by the police. Because of another failed attack the Engineers post a new video moving up the next Blacklist attacks to three days, four days, and five days, respectively.

Detention Facility: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Time to next attack: 2 Days 17 Hours)

Hooded sam fisher

Sam posing as a detainee

Fourth Echelon receives information that Nouri was brought to Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility for questioning about Iran's role in the Blacklist. They are afraid he might give false intel to again cause war between Iran and the US. Sam decides to infiltrate Gitmo to learn what Nouri has to say. With Briggs' help Fisher gets into Guantanamo Bay disguised as a detainee. Briggs takes Sam to Nouri's room and lets him loose informing him his gear is in the recreation room. Fisher interrogates Nouri who explains he is just a distraction and that Sadiq knows everything about Fourth Echelon. Fisher then sneaks through the camp and recovers his gear before proceeding to the extraction point. At the coast him and Briggs use a zodiac to escape.

Airstrip: Yucatan Province, Mexico (Time to next attack: 0 Days 5 Hours)

Back at the Paladin in Yucatan, Mexico, Grim meets Sam and Briggs arriving from their previous mission. She tells them the airport staff evacuated five minutes ago without any word. They immediately fall under attack by unknown forces, they presume they're the Engineers or mercs hired from them. While the rest of the crew provides suppressive fire, Fisher flanks the enemies. During the firefight one the Fourth Echelon's team, Ollie, is wounded. Thanks to a break in the action Sam boards the plane and the Paladin prepares to takeoff. Briggs takes control of the MQ-9 Reaper drone, same one used in Iran mission to protect its engines. In the air they begin a briefing about the American Fuel attack but it's cut short. Sadiq's hacker planted a virus into their system and now shut down their engines. Sam has to free Kobin because the other pilot cracked his head when the plane dropped. Kobin tells them to dump some cargo and restart the system before heading to the cockpit. Fisher and Briggs drop the helicopter, Fisher shuts down power to the systems to allow a reboot. This allows them to control the plane again. After system scrub they get online again and discover the American Fuel attack was successful. Another intel they notice is that the White House activated the continuity of government protocol.

American Fuel (LNG Terminal): Sabine Pass, USA (Day 17) (Time to next attack: 0 Days 0 Hours)

The fourth Blacklist attack was against the Liquid Natural Gas Facility in Sabine Pass, Louisiana. The Engineers introduced a virus into its fire suppression defenses and then rammed a tanker into the facility. Fourth Echelon deploys Fisher into the facility to secure a terminal so Cole can reactivate the defenses. Fisher then chases the on-site lead Engineer. He is about to leave in an ambulance when Charlie triggers the main gate forcing him to crash the van and leaving him grievously injured. Fisher interrogates him and learns their next attack is already in motion at Site F. They try to contact the President who tells them the situation is under control. Sadiq captured Site F and it's personnel and has chemical bombs inside. Delta set up a perimeter and they are ready to meet the Engineers' demands. The president orders them home. Sam disagrees and decides to go against this order knowing Sadiq won't stop.

American Blood (Site F): Denver, USA (Day 18) (Time to next attack: 0 Days 0 Hours 0 Minutes 5 Seconds)

The fifth Blacklist attack targets a bunker in Denver, Colorado, called Site F. The top officials and generals of the United States are hidden there because of the last Blacklist attack and the execution of the continuity of government protocol. The Engineers were counting on this and had sleeper agents inside Site F, who held everyone hostage. Fourth Echelon chooses to stop Sadiq, disobeying orders. The pilot refuses to go to Denver, so Fisher relieves him of duty and was replaced by Kobin. They land on Denver where Fisher and Briggs jumped out of the Paladin. The plane was then boarded by Delta Force. Briggs infiltrates the bunker through the ventilation system and sabotages its security systems with flash drives containing a retrofitted Engineer virus. As Sadiq tortures the Secretary of Defense for access to America's top secret information, Briggs surrenders himself. He is brought to the torture room and breaks the SecDef's neck to prevent Sadiq gaining access. Sadiq and his men then move the hostages out planning to steal the Paladin. Fisher manages to disguise himself as one of the hostages and walks with the group to the plane. Sam subdues his guard and the remaining guards are shot by friendly snipers. Fisher goes to rescue Briggs who fights with Sadiq. Briggs tries to take Sadiq's gun but gets shot. Fisher wants to help Briggs but he sends him after Sadiq. Sam and Sadiq fight with each other but the battle is soon over as Sam incapacitates the Engineer leader. Sadiq tells him that if he dies twelve nations will rise and if captured he will reveal any secret he knows. Fisher exercises the Fifth Freedom to capture him, but officially Sadiq is proclaimed dead.

In the end sequence we see Vic recovered from his injuries and is ready to interrogate Sadiq. Sam visits Vic in the interrogation room to see old friend back on his feet.

American Dust (Time to next attack: ???????)

The sixth Blacklist attack. The target is unknown, and the attack was averted.

Since Sadiq was arrested, it is impossible to plan the attack, but it is speculated that it may be a large-scale attack on the United States to paralyze the whole United States, and the target may be directed at military bases with nuclear weapons or other large-scale weapons. Or it may imply that the 12 countries will inherit the achievements of engineers.

Campaign

Overview

Splinter Cell: Blacklist gameplay mechanics build off of those introduced in Conviction. Hence, Mark & Execute, the projection of information in the environment, interrogation/torture sequences (which has been completely removed due to negative response) and parkour. Furthermore, the games point system introduced in Conviction also seems to have returned in some iteration. With that said, the game's shadow gray scale environment feature to notify you if you are in the shadows or not is gone, instead Sam's goggles and the light on his back will glow when he is in the dark.

Killing in Motion lets Sam strike with lethal precision by marking and executing multiple enemies in one fluid motion. Active Sprint allows him to traverse the environment easily and fluidly, climb walls and leap over barriers in order to reach his next target while on the move. Furthermore, Sam and his team are aware of terrorist attacks in real time thanks to the Strategic Mission Interface (SMI). The SMI allows the team to receive data about mission objectives while on the move. Players can earn money for completing missions and objectives and buy upgraded weapons and items from the SMI hub aboard the Paladin.

Splinter_Cell_Blacklist_-_First_Gameplay_Demo

Splinter Cell Blacklist - First Gameplay Demo

Official E3 Gameplay Demo

Infiltrate terrorist cells by using new gadgets such as the upgraded snake cam and micro tri-rotor drone which allows Sam to scout ahead, mark targets remotely, distract enemies, or explode with frag grenade force. Fan favorites also make a return such as the sticky shocker, and for close quarters combat, players can wield the curved and brutal Karambit knife.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is stated to have a Campaign, Coop Campaign, and the return of Spies vs. Mercs. Community Developer Zach Cooper confirmed on twitter that the Co-op missions are side stories which tie into the main narrative, and that they are given by various characters and accessed through the SMI.

But also the stealth parts of the game seem to have made a comeback. Sam will now again be able to walk in the shadows. According to the developers, the game will have three main playstyles: Assault, Panther, and Ghost.

While the "Assault" style is practically the most aggressive style—including open combat abilities, airstrikes and other aggressive mechanics—the "Ghost" style is the opposite: hiding in the shadows, never killing anyone/using non-lethal technique to knock out enemies, and just fulfilling the objective. The "Panther" style is the "middle" way so to say: While staying hidden, the player is still killing targets or clearing out rooms.

To support not only the assault style, being represented by the game Splinter Cell Conviction, but also the old game mechanics of the previous games the player has the option of various gadgets and suits to support his individual playing style. Also, the game mechanic "closer than ever" will have a comeback in Splinter Cell Blacklist. This mechanic, resurrected from the third game of the series Chaos Theory, allows the player a variable game speed to come closer to enemies without being detected.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist will have a variety of game difficulties, including a purist mode called "Perfectionist" in which the player will not be able to see through walls with his sonar goggles and the "Execute" (of the "Mark & Execute") will not be possible.

Blacklist also has new so called "RPG"- elements included in the gameplay. Between missions, the player will be aboard the "Paladin", an upgraded version of the C-5 Galaxy, which will serve as HQ for all Fourth Echelon operations.

On the Paladin, you will be able to talk to your team members, customize your equipment (loadout), and start your Co-Op and Spies vs. Mercs missions.

Wii U version

Players using the Wii U version will use the secondary screen on the controller as their OPSAT.[1]

Multiplayer

Fourth Echelon Missions

Main article: 4E Missions

Blacklist mode

The Blacklist mode is a modern retake on the classic form of Spies vs. Mercs, consisting of two teams of four players and featuring the ability to customize classes. The customization and gameplay is similar to that of the campaign story. On the Spy side, there is the Intel Scout, Saboteur, and Predator classes, spies always play with a third person camera perspective allowing for greater view of the playing field and ability to scan for enemies through advanced optics, they compensate in speed and stealth what they lack in brute lethal force.The Merc classes are Peacemaker, Hunter, and Disruptor.[2] Merc always play with a first person camera perspective, greatly narrowing field of vision. But they make up for this drawback in the sheer strength of their firepower arsenal and high stamina.

Missions

  • Blacklist Zero - Andersen Airforce Base, Guam
  • Safehouse - Benghazi, Libya
    • Recommended Gadgets: Smoke Grenade, Flashbang
  • Insurgent Stronghold - Mirawa, Iraq
    • Recommended Gadgets: Smoke Grenade, Sticky Camera
  • American Consumption - Chicago, Illinois
    • Recommended Gadgets: Sleeping Gas, Sticky Camera
  • Private Estate - Cuidad Del Este, Paraguay
    • Recommended Gadgets: Proximity Shocker, Sticky Camera
  • Abandoned Mill - London, England
    • Recommended Gadgets: Tri-Rotor
  • Special Missions HQ - Tehran, Iran
    • Recommended Gadgets: Sticky EMP, Tri-Rotor
  • Transit Yards - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • Recommended Gadgets: Smoke Grenade
  • Detention Facility - Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
    • Recommended Gadgets: Sticky EMP, Sleeping Gas, Smoke Grenade
  • Airstrip - Yucatan Province, Mexico
  • Paladin - Gulf of Mexico
  • LNG Terminal - Sabine Pass, Louisiana
    • Recommended Gadgets: Tri-Rotor, Frag Grenade
  • Site F - Denver, Colorado
    • Recommended Gadgets: Sleeping Gas, Tri-Rotor

Grim (Coop/Solo)

Briggs (Coop)

Charlie (Coop/Solo)

Kobin (Coop/Solo)

Spies vs. Mercs (Multiplayer)

  • Silo - New Jersey, USA
  • Particle Accelerator - Silicon Valley, USA
  • Cartel - Cartagena De Indias, Colombia
  • Uranium Mine - Arandis, Namibia
  • Lebanese Hospital - Beirut, Lebanon
  • Virus Vault - Heard Island, Antarctica

Equipment

Gadgets Recon & Distraction

  • Sticky Noisemaker - Sticks to any surface and makes a distraction by emitting a subtle noise to attract guards.
  • Sticky Camera - Sticks to any surface and gives you a remote view for recon, It can also distract guards by making noise like the sticky noisemaker, stun (with flash), incapacitate (with sleeping gas) or kill (with explosion).
  • Sticky EMP - Sticks to any surface and generates a miniature electromagnetic pulse, temporarily disabling nearby lights and electronics.
  • Tri-Rotor - A remote-controlled flying recon drone used for recon that can be used to scout ahead and reach places you cant and shoot sticky shocker darts to incapacitate guards.

Gas Grenade

  • Smoke Grenade - Releases a thick cloud of smoke, obstructing regular vision but can be seen through using sonar goggles.
  • Tear Gas - Releases a chemical mist to incapacitate enemies.
  • Sleeping Gas - Releases a cloud of fumes that quickly put enemies to sleep.

Explosive Grenade

  • Flashbang - Explodes with a concussive blast and blinding flare, temporarily stunning enemies.
  • Frag Grenade - Explosive grenade that fragments into deadly shrapnel.
  • Incendiary Grenade - Explosive grenade that engulfs an area in flames for several seconds.

Mines & Charges

  • Proximity Shocker - Sticks to any surface and fires sticky shocker darts when enemies get close, non-lethally subduing them.
  • Proximity Mine - Sticks to any surface and explodes when enemies get close killing them.
  • Breaching Charge - Remote detonated charge that sticks to doors and explodes inwards, killing anyone on the other side.

Ops Suit

Campaign (Sam Fisher)

Torso

Stealth

  • Tactical Mesh
  • Nanopolymer Coating
  • Stealth Nanofiber (Unlocked by completing all of Grim's missions)

Combat

  • Kevlar Weave
  • Ab Gel
  • Ceramic Plate (Unlocked by completing all of Charlie's missions)

Exclusive

  • Upper Echelon (Mark V Tactical Operations Suit)
  • 4E Eclipse (3E Eclipse Mark VII Special Operations Suit)
  • Revanant Suit (Unlocked by completing all of Briggs's missions)
  • Raven Suit (VR SV1 Akula, Uplay Reward 40p)
  • Alpha Suit (Uplay Reward 30p)

Gloves

  • Classic Gloves
  • Covert
  • Operative
  • Sharpshooter
  • Marksman
  • Gunslinger
  • Deadeye

Exclusive

Pants

Stealth

  • Tactical Mesh
  • Nanopolymer Coating
  • Stealth Nanofiber

Combat

  • Kevlar Weave
  • Ab Gel
  • Ceramic Plate

Exclusive

Boots

Stealth

  • Tactical Mesh
  • Nanopolymer Coating
  • Stealth Nanofiber

Combat

  • Kevlar Weave
  • Ab Gel
  • Ceramic Plate

Exclusive

Multiplayer

Spies

Loadout

Torso

  • Digital Ghillie Suit
  • Intel Suit
  • Overcharge Suit
  • Elite Digital Ghillie Suit
  • Elite Intel Suit
  • Elite Overcharge Suit

Gloves

  • 4E Gloves
  • Spider Gloves
  • Takedown Gloves
  • Armoured Gloves

Pants

  • 4E Pants
  • ID Blocker Pants
  • Gadget Pants
  • Armored Pants

Boots

  • 4E Boots
  • Silenced Boots
  • Sprinter Boots
  • Armored Boots

Mercenaries

Loadout

Torso

Gloves

  • Gunslinger Gloves
  • Fast Reload Gloves
  • Armored Gloves

Pants

  • Gunner Pants
  • Gadget Pants
  • Armored Pants

Boots

  • Gunslinger Boots
  • Sprinter Boots
  • Armored Boots

Gear

Pistol

4E Pistols

Black Market

  • D50
  • Makarov PM-B

Alternative Weapon

Sub-Machine Guns

Assault Rifles

Sniper Rifles

Shotguns

Black Market

Multiplayer only

  • ACE
  • MG4
  • U100

Special Weapon

Development

Technical issues

Upon release of the game, several users with slightly outdated graphics cards faced an issue with game crashing upon running the Directx 11 version of the game. Different solutions were posted on various game forums that worked for some until Ubisoft finally released a patch on the same day to fix this and other small bugs with the game.[3] There were also several issues in different levels of the game making the game unplayable, however, the new patch fixed several of these crashes encountered.[4]

Promotion

  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist was announced at E3 2012 with a release date of spring 2013.[5]
  • The gameplay trailer was released on September 25, 2012.[6]
  • In the days leading up to the announcement of the return of Spies vs Mercs, the developers posted a promotional picture and slowly revealed its content: A spy facing a mercenary.[7]
  • Zach Cooper, the Community Developer, has been releasing CommDev videos showcasing elements of the game.
  • The mobile game Splinter Cell: Blacklist Spider-Bot was released as a tie-in on June 10, 2013.[8]
  • An additional trailer was released at E3 2013 during the Ubisoft Media Presentation.[9]
  • On July 18, the "Transformation" trailer was released, showing off some of Fisher's abilities and a little bit of the storyline.[10]
  • On August 13, the website spiesvsmercs.com went live, allowing players an interactive look into the multiplayer mode and a chance to unlock in-game content.[11]
  • The launch trailer was released on August 14,[12] and was closely associated with television ads promoting the choices players face in terms of their gameplay styles.

Versions

Paladin Multi-Mission Aircraft Edition

  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist game (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U)
  • Remote Control Paladin Model
  • 96-page Splinter Cell: Echoes graphic novel
  • Billionaire's Yacht Co-Op/Solo Map
  • Upper Echelon Pack
  • The 5th Freedom Edition (Note: Only available in Europe. All Pre-Orders packs listed below are compiled into The 5th Freedom Edition. The Elite Adrenaline Suit from spiesvsmercs.com is also included.)
    • Splinter Cell: Blacklist game (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
    • HD Textures Pack
    • 24 cm Sam Fisher Figurine
    • 96-page Splinter Cell: Echoes graphic novel
    • Steelbook
    • Dead Coast and Billionaire's Yacht Co-Op/Solo Map
    • 6 Customization Items (Gold and Amber Lights, Armored Boots, Tactical Gloves, Ghost Boots, MBS Boots)
    • 5 Suits (Saboteur, Elite Adrenaline, Elite Digital Ghillie, Upper Echelon, 4E Eclipse)
    • 5 Weapons (F40, 416, VSS, Tactical Crossbow, M1014)
    • Collector's Box

Uplay Deluxe Edition

  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist game (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  • Dead Coast and Billionaire's Yacht Co-Op/Solo Map
  • 6 Customization Items (Gold and Amber Lights, Armored Boots, Tactical Gloves, Ghost Boots, MBS Boots)
  • 5 Suits (Saboteur, Elite Adrenaline, Elite Digital Ghillie, Upper Echelon, 4E Eclipse)
  • 5 Weapons (F40, 416, VSS, Tactical Crossbow, M1014)
  • Early Access to High Power Pack DLC

Ultimatum Edition

  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist game (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  • Dead Coast and Billionaire's Yacht Co-Op/Solo Map
  • 2 Customization Items (Gold Lights, Ghost Boots)
  • Upper Echelon Suit

Pre-Orders

  • Upper Echelon (Ubisoft & Retail) - Gold Sonar Lights, Upper Echelon Suit and the Dead Coast Co-Op/Solo Map.
  • Pre-Ordering from certain retail stores and websites in addition to the Upper Echelon Pack will also come with different packs for each one:
    • Covert Hunter (GameStop, EB Games) - Tactical Crossbow, 4E Eclipse & VSS
    • Protect and Defend (Walmart) - M1014, MBS Boots
    • Run and Gun (Best Buy) - Vector .45 ACP & Tactical Gloves
    • Suppress and Assault (Amazon) - F40 & 416
    • Jack of All Trades (Republic of India only) - Elite Digital Ghillie Suit & 416

Downloadable Content

Much of the DLCs featured in Blacklist were previously part of Pre-Order bonuses and The 5th Freedom Edition of the game. Dead Coast was included as part of a Pre-Order, however the Billionare's Yacht level was available to the Paladin Multi-Aircraft Edition and the Europe-exclusive The 5th Freedom Edition.

If you pre-ordered the Paladin Multi-Aircraft Edition, you would also be rewarded with the Upper Echelon Pack as well; since this pack includes the Dead Coast Map, you would then have all maps in the game available to you before the Homeland DLC, which also features more content from the Upper Echelon, Covert Hunter, Paladin Multi-Aircraft, and The 5th Freedom Edition.

Two of the Maps from the Homeland DLC also have Dead Drops that were previously unattainable. If you pre-ordered Upper Echelon Pack but not the Paladin Multi-Aircraft Edition, you can now finally collect all of the Dead Drops in the game; these Dead Drops are also vital to learning more about the Engineer's Activities, being audio files you can listen to in the Extras menu. But only 24 of the 26 Dead Drops had to be collected for the Intel Acquired Achievement/Trophy.

There were also two achievements/trophies in the game, Hunter Operator and Infiltration Operator, which required you to complete all of Kobin's Maps, and similarly another one with the same purpose but with Grim respectively. The Dead Coast and Billionaire's Yacht Maps prior to the Homeland DLC release were not required to unlock the achievements/trophies being Pre-Order offers previously; you only need to complete three of the maps available for Kobin and Grim at the start of the game.

High-Power Pack

  • USP.45
  • PP-19
  • MP5-10
  • G36C
  • ACS-12

Homeland

  • Dead Coast (Kobin)
  • Billionaire's Yacht (Grim)
  • Gold, Amber, & White Goggle Lights
  • Two new Spies vs. Mercs Skins
  • Upper Echelon Suit
  • 4E Eclipse Ops Suit
  • Tactical Crossbow (Sleeping Gas and Sticky Shocker Bolts)

Gallery

Trivia

  • This is the first Splinter Cell game without Michael Ironside as the voice of Sam Fisher. Instead, his voice (and motion capture) is done by Eric Johnson.
  • This is the only Splinter Cell game to date that does not largely use pre-rendered cutscenes.
  • This is the first game in which Sam Fisher is played in Co-Op mode. All past Co-Op modes in Splinter Cell were played by different characters such as two other Splinter Cells (Agent One and Agent Two in Chaos Theory and Double Agent Version 2), and a joint Splinter Cell & Voron Operative pair (Archer and Kestrel in Conviction).
  • Guard Dogs have returned. After last being featured in the original Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow.
  • Blacklist has more content than any other past game making it the biggest Splinter Cell game to date.
  • This is the first game in which the Spies and Mercenaries are not part of their own specific organizations or groups (ex. Shadownet & ARGUS in Pandora Tomorrow /Chaos Theory , Echelon & Upsilon in Double Agent Version 1 ); instead, both of their logos have the 4th Echelon name in them, but look different.
    • In Team Deathmatch and Uplink Control, both Spies and Mercenaries work together on each team as well for the first time.
    • The fact that the logo for both the Spies and Mercenaries is so similar could indicate that their titular gamemode is merely a Fourth Echelon training exercise, and Fourth Echelon has more personal than the single player campaign would have the player believe. However, this theory is mainly speculation and it is more likely that the logo similarities are simply coincidental.
  • This is the second game to have the player control another character in the main story of a Splinter Cell game other than Sam.
    • Both Grim and Briggs are also technically playable when they are controlling the drones.
  • In the end credits of Blacklist the joke from the end credits in Conviction about Sam buying a elephant is continued.
  • Some of the TVs in the "Billionaires Yacht" mission play an orchestrated version of "Best Endeavours" by Alan Hawkshaw, most famously used as the theme for Channel 4 News.
  • Based on a bomb in Blacklist Zero, the day the Blacklist started was November 17th.
  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the first Splinter Cell game that has both Achievements and Trophies for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, respectively.
  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist, along with Double Agent and Conviction, are available to play on the Xbox One via backwards compatibility with Xbox One X enhancement.
  • A screenshot shows the SMI with "Operation Angel Fire DLC" displayed on a screen. No such DLC has ever been released, though it may have been planned at one stage.

Notes and references

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